The primary elements of an existing wireline intelligent network are a switching system, a signaling network, a centralized database, and an operations support system which supports the database. In general, the switching system intercepts a call from a call source, and suspends call processing while launching a query through the signaling network to the centralized database. The database, in turn, retrieves the necessary information to handle the call, and returns that information through the signaling network to the network switch, which may be a local digital switch, so that the call can be completed. The operations support system administers the appropriate network and customer information.
The intelligence of the intelligent network is found at the service control point. A service control point is a transaction-processing database which provides call-handling information in response to network queries. The signaling network is made up of signal transfer points. A signal transfer point is a packet switch found in the common-channel signaling network. The signal transfer point is used to route signaling messages between network access nodes, such as switches and service control points. Signaling System 7 is a common communications protocol used in common-channel signaling networks.
In addition to the existing wireline application intelligent networks that have been in use for many years, wireless application network systems have become widespread. Unfortunately, wireless application networks sometimes fail to take advantage of existing wireline architecture, but instead employ a separate wireless application network. As such, many customers subscribe to wireless services in addition to wireline services. Further, many of those customers have several wireless devices with each wireless device having a separate identity to the wireless network, in addition to one or even several different wireline services.
As such, a customer may end up having a variety of different telephony devices, with each device having a separate telephone number, some of those devices being wireless and some of those devices being wireline based. A resultant disadvantage is the fact that at a given time a customer may have a call in progress on one device and have an immediate desire to switch that call to a different device. For example, a customer at home may have a call in progress on a wireline device, and for some reason, decide that it would be more convenient to switch the call to the other wireline device, or may decide that it would be convenient to switch the call to a wireless device.
Further, a customer may have a call in progress on a wireless device, and upon arriving at home decide it would be more convenient to switch the call to one of the customer's wireline devices. Unfortunately, many existing systems of both the wireless and wireline types do not support features to allow a customer to switch an in progress call from one device to another conveniently. As such, it is necessary for the customer to, if switching the call is of most importance, terminate the call in progress only to make another call from the other device to re-establish communication.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for systems and methods that reduce the burden placed on the end customer by requiring that in order to switch a call from one device to another, that a customer must undergo the burden of terminating the in progress call only to reconnect again with the other device.